This invention relates to tipplers or dumpers for discharging bulk materials from barges.
In order to use transport barges efficiently, it is desirable to discharge their contents as quickly as possible. It is known to discharge relatively small vessels by a tippling mechanism that lifts a laden barge from the water and overturns it to allow its contents to fall onto a stock heap at the waterside (GB No. 1154 932). Such a discharge method is impractical for larger barges, however, and bulk material conveying equipment, such as bucket chains, are employed to remove the material from the barge while it remains moored in the waterway.
When using barges to transport bulk material it is often impossible to prevent water entering the cargo space. Although this may not have any adverse affect on cargos such as coal or mineral ores, there is a problem in dealing with the contaminated water which is discharged with the cargo and which can cause unacceptable pollution if allowed to escape into the waterway.
One solution is to remove a small amount of cargo to allow a pump to be lowered to the bottom of the cargo space and draw off the water collected there to settling tanks or the like before the main bulk of the cargo is discharged by the known types of material handling equipment. This is a lengthy procedure, however, and the discharge turn-round time becomes unacceptably long.